When Steve Sojka was appointed to the City Council in 1998 to finish out Bill Davis' term, he didn't see himself sticking around long term.

"I thought it might just be a two-year stint, see how I liked it; if I didn't, I could bow out gracefully," he said. "But I just kind of fell in love with being able to do what you do on the City Council."

For Sojka, that opportunity 10 years ago was the perfect chance to serve the community that had given his family so much, particularly after his father—a former chief of police—passed away from leukemia.

"We had people all around this community wrap their arms around us," Sojka said. "I saw at an early age how great this community is. . . . Somehow, someway, I wanted to give back."

And he says he's not ready to stop giving.

As a board member of the Simi Valley Police Foundation, public safety is No.1, Sojka said, and he is dedicated to reducing crime by 20 percent.

He is particularly focused on property crimes, which make up 92 percent of Simi's crimes, and plans to launch an education campaign to "make a dent" in that number.

Steve Sojka "We can all do a little bit to make the entire community safer," Sojka said, adding that the campaign could be funded through the foundation and other organizations or businesses.

Sojka also owns a small business, operating Money Mailer in Simi and Moorpark for the past 23 years. Like many others, Sojka said his small business is suffering due to the nation's economic woes.

Because of this, Sojka said, the most important thing the council can do is attract a diverse business base that will provide more local, high-paying jobs.

"If we have a diverse business base, we're going to be able to weather these ups and downs in the economy," he said.

But to do this, Sojka said, the city needs to be more businessfriendly, and the incumbent doesn't think Simi is quite there yet.

"I've been struggling for 10 years to change that mindset because I've had friends and family that (have gone) through the process before and said, 'I'll never build in Simi again.'"

Sojka would also like to bring more amenities to residents, including a "world-class sports complex."

"I envision soccer fields, baseball fields, Olympic-sized swimming pools and diving," he said about the potential stadium.

On hot issues like the proposed landfill expansion and the Runkle Canyon development, Sojka is in a state of waiting. He said he is not "for" the landfill expansion, but he does want the city to be part of the discussion to find out what benefits Simi can reap if the project goes forward.

As for Runkle Canyon, he said he is waiting to see the environmental impact report before making his decision.

While Sojka has been a proponent of cleaning up Simi's image through measures like the sign ordinance, he acknowledged that the council needs to be careful not to over-legislate and to listen to the community.

"I think that as leaders, people vote us in to be their voice," he said. "When residents bring issues up to us, we respond."

When asked if residents seem happy with the job he has done, Sojka said he will know the answer on Nov. 4.

As far as his challengers go, Sojka said that, despite their lack of experience, they are "good people with good intentions."

"I just think I'm going to do a better job."